Sunday, February 20, 2011

I just finished this book this morning and thought I'd write a quick review. However, why not read one that really sums it all up, from NYROCK.COM (October 1996)

Please Kill Me, by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, is aptly subtitled The Uncensored Oral History of Punk. That’s basically what it is, no less, no more. In fact, if the material were condensed into one single sentence it might read as follows: In the beginning there was the MC5; the MC5 begat Iggy Pop and the Stooges; the Stooges begat the Ramones; the Ramones begat the Sex Pistols, etc.

McNeil, as cofounder of the trailblazing publication Punk Magazine, serves well as a legitimate authority on the genre. His book consists of first-hand accounts from some of punk’s most influential players. The dizzying excesses of a parade of celebrities are all there for the taking, including Iggy Pop’s many tumbles on a stage full of broken glass; Jayne County’s bone-crushing lurch, with a stage microphone, at the Dictator’s Handsome Dick Manitoba; Stiv Bator’s famous performance at CBGB’s, during which he was fellated by an aspiring cocktail waitress.

It’s much to the authors’ credit that they choose the quasi-documentary style – otherwise one might have found it hard to believe the material contained within. The irony is that while the book is quite obviously a labor of love, it often reveals an indulgent, at times downright pathetic, squadron of characters. At key moments, you don’t know whether to laugh or get your stomach pumped. Dee Dee Ramone’s account of Sid Vicious using soiled water from a public toilet bowl to shoot up with is one such occasion. "I’d seen it all by then," says Dee Dee.

Of course, Dee Dee’s closet rattles pretty heavily with his own collection of skeletons. During an aborted attempt at forging a new band with Stiv Bators in Paris, Dee Dee grew ever more disenchanted with Johnny Thunders, who was slated to be included in the lineup. Upon discovering his overcoat in Thunders’ suitcase, Dee Dee became enraged and subsequently smashed Thunders’ guitar to pieces and destroyed his entire wardrobe with a little help from Drano and a few other household corrosives.
Obliging Fans

The book borrows its title from a T-shirt designed by Richard Hell, who was then the bass player for Television. Hell is perhaps one of the most unsung heroes of the punk movement. His groundbreaking work with the Voidiods – and his debut album, containing the cut "Blank Generation" – clearly paved the way for others to follow. In fact, it’s widely speculated that Malcom Maclaren exported Hell’s entire image, spiked hair and ripped clothing, to England for use on his favorite clients, the Sex Pistols.

Hell had written the words "Please Kill Me" on a shirt and included a graphic of a bulls-eye below it. He then decided it was against his better judgment to actually wear it – the duty was somehow assumed by Television guitarist Richard Lloyd. According to Lloyd, "Richard... wouldn’t wear it. So I [did]. These fans gave me this really psychotic look... Then they said, ‘If that’s what you want, we’ll be glad to oblige because we’re such big fans!’... and I thought, I’m not wearing this shirt again."
The History of Rock & Roll

Some of the more outlandish behavior in the book comes by way of Iggy Pop. Among other things, Iggy was fond of wearing women’s evening gowns or nothing at all in public. His love for substances is well documented, including his tendency to consume enough Quaaludes to kill a horse and then crawl around uselessly on-stage before thousands of adoring fans. On one occasion, Iggy nearly got runover while sprawled out on the parking lot outside a local truck stop. According to James Grauerholz, Iggy leapt to his feet and screamed, "You asshole, you almost killed me... you could’ve stopped the history of rock & roll."

As mentioned, the book’s use of straight quotes work well. Not only does it lend authenticity to the material but it allows its characters to display some of their more positive sides. For example, it’s no surprise that as the author of some of the greatest rock & roll material ever, such as "Lust For Life," Iggy Pop proves to be an intelligent, eloquent fellow. However, it’s nice to read his words verbatim to confirm the fact. Otherwise we could walk away with nothing but the picture of him crawling around in a stupor, covered with blood, bare-assed naked – or clad in the latest evening wear from the Gloria Vanderbilt collection.

"...it was about advocating kids to not wait to be told what to do, but make life up for themselves, it was about trying to get people to use their imaginations again, it was about not being perfect, it was about saying it was okay to be amateurish and funny, that real creativity came out of making a mess, it was about working with what you got in front of you and turning everything embarrassing, awful, and stupid in your life to your advantage." Legs McNeil.
"...the story of a bunch of losers and misfits, junkies and whores, geniuses and idiots, poets and illiterates who banded together for a brief moment in history, to make great rock & roll, and to have a real cool time doing it." - Legs & Gillian
Start reading Please Kill Me @ Google BooksPlease Kill Me! Interview with Legs McNeil - Glorious Noise

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Horns - Joe Hill

At first Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who was raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real.

Once the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned musician and younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, he had security, wealth, and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more—he had Merrin and a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic.

But Merrin’s death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. In the court of public opinion in Gideon, New Hampshire, Ig is and always will be guilty because his rich and connected parents pulled strings to make the investigation go away. Nothing Ig can do, nothing he can say, matters. Everyone, it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone, that is, but the devil inside. . . .

Now Ig is possessed of a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look—a macabre talent he intends to use to find the monster who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It’s time for a little revenge. . . . It’s time the devil had his due. . . .
(from JoeHillFiction.com)HORNS has been nominated for Superior Achievement in a Novel in this year’s Bram Stoker Award voting.

I can see why so many had this on their best of 2010 books list. An enjoyable read that has many twists and turns. 4/52

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Blood Into Wine

Blood Into Wine follows two guys and their pursuit to make great wine in the Arizona High Desert. What makes this such an interesting venture is that one of them is Maynard James Keenan, frontman for TOOL, A Perfect Circle & Puscifer. Keenan has cultivated an air of mystery about himself and his career by in his words, "...not giving away the whole farm." Well, he doesn't give away the farm but a lot of the vineyard as he shatters some of the mystique and lets you spend one season with him from planting to processing. Not a documentary about wine from a wine snobs point of view, Eric Glomski, Keenan's wine mentor, spends ample time explaining the different nuances of wine and all the labor that goes into making it. The movie shares insight into wine and the creative process of Keenan. Interviews with Keenan give a glimpse into his self discovery and ultimately his self fulfillment , "I'm not out here Shouting at the Devil, not Barking at the Moon, we're just digging in the dirt." Highly Recommended.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

White Line Fever - Lemmy

Three hundred pages of colorful stories spanning the life of Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister. Founding father of Motorhead and Hard Rock Icon shares an unfiltered look back over his career, drink & drug use, music, constant touring, band mates and sex. Lemmy's writing style is conversational and engaging. The amount of history can hardly be contained in just one book. Lemmy is Rock 'N Roll, Rock 'N Roll is Lemmy! The Real Deal. Often humorous, downright honest. Lemmy: 49% Motherfucker / 51% Son Of A Bitch
3/52

Monday, January 17, 2011

The Making Of Slap Shot: Behind The Scenes Of The Greatest Hockey Movie Ever Made

What kind of guy reads a book about the making of a movie? The one that can not get enough of a good thing. I first fell in love with Slap Shot in 1980 when it was broadcast on Network T.V. I was eight years old when my dad called me into the family room to watch it one night. Now the version I first saw was a heavily edited one but I was hooked from the first scene. It was one of those movies that a father and son could bond over, share in the good "Old Time Hockey." When the Hanson Brothers hit the screen I new instantly that this was the greatest thing since Star Wars. I howled in laughter for two hours. That started my thirty year fascination with Slap Shot.

"The Making of Slap Shot" is great fun because it truly puts you in the center of the Slap Shot world. Great insider information from the Screenwriter, Director, Actors & everybody involved with making the movie. Detailed information about the state of minor league hockey and its players are well documented here. The only draw back is that Paul Newman and the Hanson Brothers did not participate. Newman had passed away during the writing of the book and his insight is culled from previous interviews. If your looking for Hanson Brother insight it is best to read Dave Hanson's Book, "Slap Shot Original" Highly Recommended for fans of the Funniest Sports Movie Ever!
Google Books preview here, The Making of Slap Shot: Behind The Scenes of The Greatest Hockey Movie Ever Made 2/52

Sunday, January 16, 2011

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest - Stieg Larsson

Fifty-two books in fifty-two weeks. The first book of 2011 is one that I put off reading for many month of last year, "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest" by Stieg Larsson. The reason I put it off was that I didn't want the infectious story to end. I won't give away anything if you haven't read the previous two books in the "Millennium Trilogy", "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" & "The Girl Who Played With Fire."

"The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest" does an excellent job of ending the trilogy. You owe it to yourself to read them all. 1/52.

Resurrection - 2011

This site has laid dormant for several years while I was off raising a couple of rugrats. I missed the sharing aspect of the blog but have had little to offer over the years as kids have dominated most of my time outside of work. My daughter just turned four the other day and questions my musical taste, soon she will come around and beg to borrow my Record's and CD's. Since I don't get to attend that many live shows I live vicariously through satellite radio, dvd's and books. What will be posted is left open.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Riley And The Peas

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Electro-Shock Blues Show

One night in December of 1998, in the midst of a tour as support act for the band Pulp, the eels found themselves fighting for their lives on the stage of some English ice rink or convention hall. It's unknown what town they are actually playing in on this recording since the tape box has been labeled with the names of three towns, and no one in the band even remembers the 1900s.But no matter. It rocks all the same. Step into this rock and/or roll time machine and be there for the entire set. Check out an early version of "Souljacker Part I," when Sally was a young Mary, some three years before the release of the Souljacker album. Laugh as members of the audience berate and belittle our heroes. At least that guy screaming "Novocaine!!!" isn't shouting "Judas!"

Monday, March 12, 2007

GRINDERMAN

Grinderman – Grinderman: As I write this, I am sitting in a plane, 51 minutes into a journey from Sydney Australia to Los Angeles and I am trying to get all these notes written up in time for this broadcast two days from now. I was in Red Eye records hours ago, and heard on the store’s system what I guessed was the new Nick Cave fronted band, Grinderman. I inquired and was correct. The album came out a couple of days before so I was in luck that they had some. Many hours later: Back in LA and have only checked out a couple of songs from the album due to other work I had to do and exhaustion. I picked the title cut because I liked the way it sounded about 27 hours ago when I was in Sydney. Grinderman is Nick Cave, Warren Ellis who is also a Bad Seed and Dirty Three member, Martyn Casey was a Triffid and is also a Bad Seed as well and Jim Sclavunos who has been in so many bands, when I saw him in the Bad Seeds awhile ago, somehow I wasn’t surprised. He has turned up in many musical projects of all kinds from work with Lydia Lunch to The Cramps. At the time of this writing, I don’t know what Nick intends to do with the band, how many shows, albums, etc. I can’t see him ditching the Bad Seeds for this thing, seeing how great the last album was. Perhaps it’s a resting phase or a way to blow off some minimalist steam. As always, we will pay Fanatical attention to this band. -Henry RollinsHenry Rollins Harmony In My Head RadioGrinderman.mp3Grinderman @ ANTI-Grinderman (Myspace)

Leon Russell Live

When I was growing up I was very fortunate to come from a family that played music through out the house. The radio was always on or a LP spinned on the turntable. Sometimes, I would just flip through the crates of my parents albums just to see what the artists looked like. I'm not sure if I remember this one quite the way that it played out in my head, but I'm sure that I liked this album based on the fact that Leon wore a hat just like the one that one of the Muppets wore.Live shows off Russells' passion, spirit, energy, and southern charm, as well as, showing why he was named "The Preacher".

Buju Banton

Driver A, from Too BadPull It Up featuring Beres Hammond, from Unchained Spirit.Buju Banton Bio In his "Unchained Spirit" album, it is said that Buju demostrates unfettered devotion to his craft by extending his trademark toasting skills into the realms of rock steady, ska, gospel, African highlife and American soul.(gargamel bio)I thought with all the cold weather we've been having I'd throw in some warm Jamaican sounds. Buju Banton encapsulates many of the finer things in dancehall, dub music. Enjoy. - DRJ

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Werewolf Women of the S.S

via bloody-disgusting.com:This is a still from the forthcoming fake movie trailer, Werewolf Women of the SS. The trailer is directed by Rob Zombie for Quentin Tarantinos' Grindhouse movie.

Grindhouse is the much anticipated Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino double feature. An homage to exploitation B-movie thrillers that replicates the grind house theatergoing experience of the 1970’s.

Grindhouse movie trailer. I'm a huge fan of both directors and am eagerly awaiting the release of this film. Totally unrelated, this song kinda fits the image Even Hitler Had A Girlfriend, The Mr. T Experience.